Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia on Monday to discuss ending the ongoing hostilities, a spokesperson from the Thailand Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on Sunday. The announcement follows mediation efforts by US President Donald Trump, aimed at resolving the escalating border dispute. The current wave of fighting — now in its fourth day — erupted after a brief skirmish in May, and has so far claimed at least 34 lives and displaced over 168,000 people.“Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend the talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss peace efforts in the region,” news agency AP quoted Thai PMO spokesperson Jirayu Huangsap as saying.The spokesperson added that Phumtham’s Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet will also attend the talks, though this was not immediately confirmed by the Cambodian side.Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of both Thailand and Cambodia, and claimed that he suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire.Following his conversation with the US President, the Cambodian premier stated that his country has agreed to pursue an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” He added that Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following Trump’s conversation with Thailand’s interim leader.Meanwhile, Thailand expressed cautious support. Phumtham thanked Trump and asserted that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for “sincere intention” from Cambodia.Both sides blame the other for the clashesThe fighting first flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia.Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with the two sides refusing to budge, and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements.Thailand also reported death of another soldier, bringing its total number of fatalities to 21, mostly civilians. Cambodia has announced 13 deaths on its side. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 37,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut.
